


Bricolage

by Kawaiibooker



Series: A Theory of Piracy [6]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Medical Inaccuracies, Nakamaship, Post-Whole Cake Island, Recovery, on Luffy's Gears and the damage they cause
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:15:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24222655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kawaiibooker/pseuds/Kawaiibooker
Summary: bri·co·lage(n.)The act of making do with what one has.*A talk about a captain's heart and acceptable consequences.
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy & Tony Tony Chopper, Mugiwara Kaizoku | Strawhat Pirates & Tony Tony Chopper
Series: A Theory of Piracy [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1682008
Comments: 15
Kudos: 157





	Bricolage

**Author's Note:**

> Unbetaed.
> 
> Set after Whole Cake and before Wano.

Beyond the maelstrom and the currents raging in-between Jinbei disappears from view, and Luffy’s legs finally give.

It’s Sanji who catches him, at his side in an instant and taking his weight with a low grunt of effort, arm gentle around Luffy’s bandaged waist. Sanji’s gaze searches, falls on him; he calls, “Chopper!”

And Chopper forces his body to _move_ , Rumble Ball and injuries and exhaustion be damned.

They’re still in Big Mom’s territory, the thrum of battle still pounding away in their chests; Carrot settles into the Crow’s Nest while Brook remains steadfast at the helm and Nami steps between Luffy and the world to command their retreat. With big, careful hands, Chopper carries their captain to the part of Sunny’s grass deck least affected by the scars left behind and gets to work under the open sky.

Just in case Luffy wakes. Just in case they can’t get a word in before he fades again. _You made it. We’re safe. You’re free–_

This is the thing Chopper does best.

*

Luffy’s out for two days and Chopper is with him.

He’s there when the wound won’t stop bleeding in a flurry of cotton candy snow; when night falls around them and fever hits; when Luffy mumbles – _not yet, not yet_ – caught between unconsciousness and delirium and all there is left to do is hold his hand and _hope_.

Yet Luffy’s body is as much a miracle as the soul it contains: Luffy pulls through as he always does, and Sanji looks near-faint with relief when he’s finally, finally allowed to Luffy’s bedside.

Chopper drifts, then, one ear turned towards the quiet admonishments and even quieter apologies spoken in the safety of the infirmary. After that it’s the barely-there sound of Nami’s fingers running through unruly hair, hitching against invisible knots that she untangles with patience. Brook brings along a chipper tune hummed under his breath and the lingering scent of his favorite tea.

Underneath it all, a strong heart falters and recovers and continues to beat. That, only that, finally guides Chopper into sleep.

The New World decides to have mercy on them, for now. The cerulean horizon is only interrupted by the occasional cloud – made of nothing but water and air – and for once Chopper is glad there is no candy in sight. Ever faithful, the Thousand Sunny doesn’t mind their inexperienced hands as they try to fix the damage done to her, from the holes in her hull to the tear in the main sail that Chopper sews together like he would any other wound. Sanji descends on the sorry state of his galley like he’s possessed by the devil himself and emerges hours later, lunchboxes in hand and looking as close to calm as Chopper has seen him in weeks.

Luffy is there for parts of it, awake if droopy-eyed and pale under all that gauze. He’s immediately banned to the sidelines and doesn’t put up more than a token protest, chuckling at the unanimous veto from his crew.

“Yeesh! Okay, okay. You guys got this!”

It’s quickly forgotten as Sanji gives him his lunch to drool over before settling right next to him with his own. Without another word the rest of the crew joins them on Sunny’s lawn to eat and it’s healing, Chopper finds, to sit among friends and listen to them talk and laugh over a shared meal.

One made by _Sanji_ , that is, and even if Luffy’s too worn out to steal anything out of their boxes he still _tries_. It just so happens that he gets a bite of every portion regardless.

And it’s Luffy’s pleased smile and the fond eye-roll it provokes from Sanji that melts the constant stress and worry of the past few days off Chopper’s bones entirely. Soon, they will reach Wano Country and they will be united once more – Chopper sighs happily, thinking of the stories Robin will read to him and the nice, long nap he will share with Zoro.

And if Sunny goes a little slower than usual, well, Franky will know what to do and Usopp will help mend their ship as he always has. In the grand scheme of things, this will soon be just another step on the path of her becoming a ship of legend, and of them becoming the crew of the Pirate King.

Carrot beams at Chopper from where she sits with her lunchbox propped on her knees and her cheeks full. Chances are, somewhere out there, Jinbei is wounded but _alive_ and celebrating the past to embrace a future to come all the more freely.

Munching on another forkful, Chopper decides to have faith. Luffy gave Jinbei an order, after all.

*

“Oi, Chopper?”

Hooves pause on the clasps of the doctor’s bag; Chopper glances up and into brown eyes, surprisingly serious. “Luffy?”

Sitting cross-legged and relaxed against Sunny’s mast, Luffy says: “I gotta tell you something.”

Chopper blinks, follows the wordless pat on wood to Luffy’s side. The man smiles and reaches over, rubbing a knuckle across Chopper’s fluffy cheek and it helps, the gesture inherently comforting and so familiar.

“Um. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah.” No hesitation, no doubts, and Luffy’s gaze is fond now, solid like little else is on an ocean as capricious as this. Yet it’s rare, for him to linger after one of his check-ups when there’s a dozen more fun things to be done.

“Remember what we said, when we met again? About this.”

Luffy places a hand on his chest then, fingers splayed from the middle of his scar like he’s holding it – himself – together. Concern races across Chopper’s mind and he nods, mouth drawn with determination.

( _Tell me, Luffy, please. If–_

 _–anything changes or hurts, I’ll let you know. That’s a promise, okay? Don’t worry about it now._ )

Luffy nods, too. “It hurts. Not the scar, I don’t think but– Below? Right here.”

Gently, Chopper’s hoof is taken and held just off-center. Calm and steady, Luffy’s heart beats against his palm. Chopper starts counting out of habit.

“Not always. Right now, it’s fine ‘cause it comes and goes. Like–”

 _Thump._ Chopper is close enough to see the subtle wince of Luffy’s mouth before it eases again and he murmurs, “Yeah. Like that.”

Closing his eyes, Chopper puts both hooves on Luffy’s chest and he waits, feels the warmth of his skin and listens to the soft breathing that hitches with every beat Luffy’s heart skips– No, every beat it _adds_ , fluttering in-between.

And still, Luffy’s pulse marches on, strong as ever.

Chopper squints for a moment against the day’s brightness and the swirl of theories and half-formed treatment plans in his brain. “Since when?”, he asks, keeping his voice light because there _is_ worry in Luffy’s expression. It’s just well-hidden.

Luffy thinks then, head tilted and a thumb on his chin. “Dunno exactly but, um. Definitely when I was fighting Katakuri. My chest kept hurting and I thought it was… y’know. Everything else going on.”

 _Everything else_ being Luffy getting beaten blue and bloody by a man three times his size for hours on end, and out of all the things Chopper has been able to get through his thick skull, the details of his fights have always remained out of reach. Yet Luffy looks a little nervous, shifting with another beat that goes awry under Chopper’s touch.

“Luffy… Has this happened before?”

It’s not like Luffy’s made a habit of lying – not when his tells are so obvious even Chopper knows, sometimes – just that there are things he simply doesn’t talk about, not unless directly asked. Luffy glances at Chopper and there’s _something_ there, not exactly guilt but close enough to make him worry, too.

“I think? A long time ago. When I went after Ace, everything hurt too. Don’t know if like this, though. It’s kinda hard to remember.”

And Chopper doesn’t know what to say to that because it’s _Ace_ , and because _he wasn’t there_. All the information Chopper has about the war and its aftermath exists as a bundle of handwritten notes in his locker, neatly tied and given to him without further comment by the man who _was_.

But… There was nothing about Luffy’s heart in there, and Traffy wouldn’t have left anything out just to spare Chopper’s feelings. There is no room for that where life and death hang in such delicate balance.

“Chopper?”

Luffy’s voice is quiet now, like Chopper’s the one whose heart is struggling. Chopper looks at him, at the uncertainty on Luffy’s face that’s so rare it’s practically unheard of, and he _knows_ his captain needs a doctor more than he needs a friend right now.

“It’s your heart, Luffy. It’s doing okay overall but it keeps beating out of rhythm– Feel that? It’s probably been that way for a while and only got painful because you pushed yourself beyond your limits.”

 _Again_ , Chopper wants to add but it's not needed, not when Luffy is listening with an intensity Chopper isn’t used to and it makes sense, what he did. It’s unlikely they’d be sitting here to talk about this at all if Luffy hadn’t kept Katakuri away from his crew for as long as he did – Chopper can’t argue with results like that.

_But–_

“This… This is a warning sign, Luffy. We have to take it seriously or your heart will give sooner rather than later.”

Luffy’s brows draw together – then he nods. Chopper exhales, finally easing off Luffy’s chest to sit on his knee instead.

“It’s my Gears, isn’t it?”

It’s worded as a question even though the answer is obvious to both of them. Luffy smiles at the tired look Chopper gives him. “I know. You warned me a million times about how tough they are on my body. I’m still figuring out a way around that… Can I still use them?”

Chopper sighs. There’s no point in sugarcoating this, either.

“You really, really shouldn’t. Just… hold back on them for now? I’ll come up with some medicine to help your heart heal. It’s important for it to recover while it still can.”

Out of all the things to be put off by in that statement, Luffy grimaces at the word ‘medicine’. “… ‘kay. But I can still fight. Right? I’ll be careful. No Gears.”

Chopper hears the implied _if I can help it_ loud and clear. He lets him have it, patting his hand comfortingly. “Yeah. Ah, and another thing… Captain?”

“Hm?”

“Can I talk to Traffy about this? I want to ask him some questions about, um. About the war.”

There’s surprise on Luffy’s face, quick to melt away. “Oh. Sure thing. Although–”

It’s Chopper’s turn to tilt his head at him. For a moment, Luffy chews on what he wants to say.

“Maybe don’t tell the others? Traffy’s okay, he’ll fuss no matter what. But… Let’s keep all this heart stuff between us for now, yeah?”

Chopper is not one for secrets but this is Luffy’s decision to make and he _trusts_ Luffy. And while it’s technically not an order it’s still important. Especially with the faraway look Luffy gives the galley, and the way he tends to sit a little straighter and smile a little brighter every time Sanji is close-by.

“Of course”, Chopper promises his captain with a grin, because some wounds need longer to mend than others and some scars ache even years later. 

Only a few days more and the crew will be complete; together, Chopper knows, they’ve always been strongest. Perhaps then, Luffy will be able to set aside some of the weight on his shoulders.

Soon, they will have _time_ again. And if there’s anything that can’t heal, well – that’s what Chopper is for. It’s the thing he’s best at.

**Author's Note:**

> I rewatched the fight with Katakuri the other day and something about the anime pacing of it made me really think just how _long_ a 10 hour all-out-brawl is, especially with Luffy bleeding out for a good 30% of it.
> 
> (Also I took some liberties with heart arrythmia here... The condition Luffy has is called a premature heartbeat and is in itself rather harmless, unless it's paired with having a weak heart in general.)
> 
> Not sure if I'm 100% happy with this one but I've had a bit of a shitty week and was craving some reindeer doctor goodness to make it all better 🦌💞 let me know what you think?
> 
> P.S.: For a Sanji-centric fic about Whole Cake, see [Etymology](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23985457/chapters/57694960).
> 
> [tumblr](https://kawaiibooker.tumblr.com) / [twitter](https://twitter.com/kawaiibooker)


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